Midnight
by StarsTilDawn
Summary: Peony Parkinson is a Squib, and definitely not invited to the Malfoy Easter Masquerade Ball. But she sneaks in anyway, and falls for exactly the kind of boy a Squib shouldn't fall for- Draco Malfoy. Previously "A Shattered Cinderella"
1. Chapter 1

It was just another normal morning in the Parkinson household. Pansy was picking at an eggcup sized portion of muesli with skimmed milk, washed down with copious quantities of black coffee. Sitting opposite her, I made a big deal of spreading as much butter and jam onto my toast as I could humanly manage, and then adding a huge splash of cream to my coffee. Pansy glared at me. My fast metabolism was about the only advantage I had over my sister, and I used it to annoy her as much as I could.

Suddenly, a huge owl swept into the kitchen and held out it's leg for Pansy. I watched jealously as she ripped the letter open and read it quickly, before squealing with excitement. "Oooh, I've been invited to the Malfoy's Easter Masquerade!"

Our parents hurried over to read the letter and coo excitedly over their successful, beautiful and amazing daughter. I watched glumly, knowing that I wouldn't be going. I'd been friends with Draco as a child, but as far as the Malfoy's knew I had died of dragon pox at the age of ten.

As soon as she'd proven to our parents what an amazing little social climber she was, Pansy started to issue instructions. "I'll need new dress robes, of course. Something springlike- maybe pale green. And a mask obviously."

"Of course, darling," mum gushed. "I'll take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow. I suppose we'd better get you some jewellery, too. This could be your chance to really get to know the Malfoys, after all!"

"Mother, I _already_ know them."

"Yes, but going to their ball is the perfect opportunity to get to know him in a more… _romantic_ way. We have to make sure you make the best impression possible. Oh, how exciting! My daughter, going to her first real ball-"

As my mother wittered on about how excited she was for my sister, I slipped away from the table and took my coffee up to my room. I doubt they even noticed that I was gone. I don't exactly blame my parents for their favouritism of Pansy – I'm lucky they even let me come home for holidays. After all, I'm the thing that could really bring all their hopes of Pansy marrying into a good family crashing to the ground. You see, I'm a Squib.

Pansy was unbearable for the rest of the week. She only had two topics which she talked about: Draco and the upcoming ball, and she talked about them constantly. I tried to tune her out. Even so, by the time the ball came around I probably could have given you Draco Malfoy's complete life history, a complete physical description of every inch of his flawless skin and an exhaustive list of his likes and dislikes- from his hatred of all things muggle to the fact that his favourite colour was silver.

When the day of the ball arrived, she was even worse- pacing the house, panicking about her outfit and asking anyone who would listen if they thought she looked too pasty. By lunchtime, she was seriously considering rushing out to buy a whole new set of clothes in case the ones she already had showed too much flesh. Mother spent most of the afternoon convincing her that she looked fine, and that she would be by far the most beautiful girl there. After all, she was the one Draco had taken to the Yule Ball, wasn't she?

By six o'clock, Pansy was in a screaming panic. One of her shoes had disappeared.

"Peony!" my mother screamed up the stairs to my attic bedroom. "PEONY! Come and help your sister, NOW!"

I glanced with irritation towards the door. I had been trying to work on my Chemistry coursework, without much success- our house didn't have internet access, for obvious reasons. But anything was preferable to dealing with my mother and sister when they were in their current state.

"Peony, what are you doing?" my mother shouted again, as I failed to respond within five seconds of being called. "Are you listening to me?"

I sighed. I didn't have much of a choice. "I'm coming!" I shouted back. I slammed my pad of paper shut and walked down the stairs. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"Help me find my shoe!" Pansy screeched. Her room was a mess. Clothes, magazines and shoes were scattered all over the floor, and Pansy was knelt in the centre, throwing things around. She had just one shoe on, with the other foot bare, and she was near tears.

"Oh _no_," I said sarcastically. I tried not to smile too obviously at her panic.

Pansy looked up and glared at me. "Just help me find it!" she shouted.

"OK, OK, I will," I said. "What does it look like?" Of course I knew exactly what they looked like- I'd heard her describe them a million times in the last week- but I knew it would annoy Pansy to ask for clarification.

"Peony!" she screamed, her face contorting. "Just help me find them!"

My mother rushed to comfort her, putting an arm around her and cooing, "It's alright, dear, we'll find it." She turned back to me. "They're silver, with a heel and lots of straps."

"And where do you want me to look?" I asked.

"Try the living room," mother told me, before turning back to Pansy and making soothing noises to her. I stomped downstairs and clicked on the light in the living room, before beginning a half-hearted search of the room. I poked the fire vaguely, and then looked under the sofa cushions and the tables. Upstairs, I could hear Pansy shouting. I looked underneath the sofas and checked the bookshelves. It occurred to me that the obvious way to find it would be to ask our house elf, Mally, but I wasn't going to point that out to Pansy. Instead I wandered around the living room aimlessly, so that if anyone came to check on me I could claim to be helping.

A few minutes later I heard footsteps on the stairs. Seconds later Pansy entered the living room, closely followed by our mother. This time, it was mum who was almost in tears- but with happiness at how amazingly at least one of her daughters had turned out.

And Pansy did look gorgeous. Her robes were a bright, springy shade of green which brought out her eyes and made her pale skin look almost translucent. She had found both her shoes, and the heels (so high I couldn't even _imagine_ wearing them) made her look tall and graceful. And it was all matched perfectly by a silver clutch bag and a delicate silver necklace at her throat. I felt my jaw drop- I had never realised that my sister could be pretty. I hated her more than ever for it.

"Oh, I'd better go and make sure your father is ready to go," mother said, rushing off. "Albert!" she called up the stairs. "She's ready!" And then she hurried back in, looking over Pansy one last time and fiddling with the low neckline of her dress robes- although as far as I could tell, they didn't really need it.

My father came in with a camera a few seconds later. "Alright, Pansy, smile."

Pansy didn't even bother to protest about being photographed- quite possibly a first. She simply put one hand on her hip, and smiled in a pouty sort of way. The camera flashed, and then Pansy was taking down the jar of Floo Powder on top of the fireplace and stepping gracefully into the green flames. I watched sulkily, feeling tears pricking at the back of my eyes. More than ever, I wished that I were in Pansy's position. Not just for the ball, but for everything.

Pansy stepped into the fire. For a second the bright green flames clashed hideously with her robes, and then she was gone. My parents both glanced at me and said goodbye awkwardly. My mother warned me briefly not to try and do anything stupid, and then they, too, were gone. I crawled closer to the fire, and stared into the flames that my sister had just disappeared into, trying not to cry. I never cried, and I certainly wasn't going to just because my sister was going to some stupid ball that I wasn't invited to.

I thought about how Pansy had looked stepping into the fire again- it was so unfair. Pansy and I were non-identical twins, although you'd never guess it. So why did I have to be a Squib and a loner because of it, while Pansy got to do magic and go to balls?

A slight pop startled me from my thoughts, and I realised that I had been crying crying. Only a little, not _really_ crying, but I could feel damp tear tracks running down my cheeks. I glanced to my left to see that Mally was standing beside me, looking worried. "What is wrong?" she squeaked.

"I'm OK," I said hastily.

"Mistress is crying. Mistress must tell Mally what is wrong, and maybe Mally can help."

"I'm fine, honestly," I said. I wiped the tears from my cheek with my sleeve, and forced a smile.

"If mistress would like to go to the ball, Mally thinks that it could be arranged. It is a masquerade ball, so no-one will see mistress's face. And there are plenty of Misstress Pansy's clothes that would fit perfectly."

An image suddenly flashed into my mind: me, wearing a beautiful set of flowing robes, mingling with witches and wizards. I could look just as beautiful as Pansy, and they would all love me, not knowing that I was a Squib. There would be dancing, and conversation… But it was no more than a dream, of course.

"Mistress would need a mask, of course," Mally continued, speaking more to herself than to me. "But I think I could make something quickly from what is in the sewing cupboard… Come!" She squeaked, coming out of her reverie and taking my hand. She began to lead me towards the stairs. I followed excitedly. "Mistress _shall_ go to the ball!"


	2. Chapter 2

Half an hour later, I stepped out the fireplace and into the Malfoy's ballroom. And stopped dead. The room was beautiful- glittering chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and beautiful people swayed and pirouetted on the dance floor. Every one of them was reflected over and over again in the mirrors which covered the walls. The air was full of soft laughter and talk, and house elves carrying trays of canapés and drinks moved silently among the throng. I could almost _smell_ the elegance- a faint tang of expensive perfume and wood panelling which made me wish, more than ever, that I could be a part of it.

I took a step backwards, heading towards the fireplace. I no longer even knew why I had come- these people wouldn't be interested in me. I was a Squib, and suddenly I was sure they would recognise that instantly.

"Do I know you?"

I whirled around to see a boy standing to my left, tall and skinny beneath his black robes and plain black mask. I gaped for a second, shocked that anyone here would want to talk to _me_, then asked stupidly, "Uh, should you?"

"Well, it _is_ my ball."

I suddenly realised who I was talking to: Draco Malfoy, the boy Pansy had been talking about all week and my childhood playmate. I searched desperately for a witty reply, desperate to impress him. Instead, I said stupidly, "Surely it's your parent's ball." As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to kick myself. I sounded like a pedantic idiot. My head filled with an image of his thin face forming into a scowl.

"Yes, well, if you weren't invited you'll have to leave," he said sulkily.

"Oh, I was invited," I said hastily. It wasn't even a lie, really- the invitation Pansy had received had included the whole family, after all. Surely the fact that the Malfoys thought I was dead couldn't change that?

"Are you sure? What's your name?" he snapped.

"Um…" I faltered. "It wouldn't be much of a masquerade if I told you, would it?"

He examined me closely. I felt incredibly uncomfortable as his eyes travelled the length of my body, certain that it would become obvious what an impostor I was. Surely I must simply radiate Squib-ness when compared with the elegant dancers filling the room. But then he said, "Hm… I think I do recognise you from somewhere… How old are you?"

"Sixteen. But, er, I don't go to Hogwarts. I go to, er, Durmstrang. So you might not, um, have seen me that much…" I trailed off.

"Oh?" His eyes moved up to my mask. "My parents wanted to send me to Durmstrang, but mother thought it would be too far. She likes knowing I'm fairly close."

"Oh, really?" I asked weakly. I was shocked that I had managed to lie to a wizard- I mean, I knew that they couldn't _all_ read minds, but even so…

"Yes." He looked me up and down once again. "So, if you really _were_ invited, would you like to dance?"

I almost refused, sure that this must be a trick. But then an image of Pansy's face if she could see us flashed into my mind, and felt my face break into a smile at the thought. It had to be worth the risk, surely? "I'd _love_ to dance."

He took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor as the previous song ended and a slower one started up. I panicked a little, realising that I hadn't danced in a very long time, and had never been this close to a boy. My family had cancelled my dancing lessons when they'd realised I was a Squib. At the time, I had been glad to end them- I'd never been much of a dancer- but now I wished I had continued. Still, slow dancing isn't particularly difficult. Our bodies were almost touching, and we seemed to move closer and closer as the song went on. I realised that I should attempt to make conversation, and asked, "So, uh, what's Hogwarts like?"

"Well, I suppose it's not absolutely unendurable. But the headmaster is a complete mudblood lover- Dumbledore, you might have heard of him- and the rest of the teachers tend to follow his lead. A lot of the time it's absolutely impossible for anyone of any quality to get any attention whatsoever. At Durmstrang you don't let in any of that rabble, I've heard."

"Um-" I began. Was he trying to catch me out? But luckily, he kept talking, without waiting for a reply.

"Father's been saying for years that Hogwarts needs to sort itself out. I mean, some of the people Dumbledore's hired over the years-" He talked for the rest of the dance, so that all I had to do was nod occasionally and concentrate on not treading on his feet.

Finally, the dance ended. Draco and I stood close together a second longer, and then he pulled away. I felt a strange sense of relief- it had been unnerving to be so close to a boy who I wasn't even sure I liked.  
"Well, now you've got to tell me your name."

"Er-" I began. Then, attempting to adopt a flirtatious tone, I said, "It's still a masquerade, remember."

Draco sighed peevishly. "I'll find out anyway, you know." We said goodbye to each other, and he moved away across the dance floor, presumably to find someone else to talk at. I walked in the opposite direction, with no real idea where I was going. I felt elated- a wizard (Draco Malfoy, no less!) had asked me to dance! And by the end of the dance, he had still wanted to know my name! Obviously I wasn't so obviously a failure as I'd thought.

Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and my smile widened even more. I didn't recognise myself at first. I was as pretty as Pansy had been, maybe more so. The blue robes clung in some places and flared in others, giving my body the illusion of curves, and the high white heels that I wore(charmed by Mally so that I wouldn't fall) made me look tall, elegant and glamorous- something I had never looked in my life. Even my usually flat, mousy hair seemed to have some life in it.

I grabbed a glass of wine from a passing house elf and sipped it delicately as I looked around the room. First, I checked that my family were still there- they were. My mother and father were talking to an older couple, while Pansy was dancing with a boy in midnight blue robes and a sparkling mask. I felt a stab of jealousy that she was be dancing when I wasn't. My elation began to fade, slowly, as I looked around the room and realised that I didn't know anyone. I was suddenly hideously aware of how alone I must look, and began walking around the room, with the idea that now would be a good time to Floo back before I was discovered.

While I was trying to work out what direction I had come in from, another boy approached me. I was incredibly surprised He was wearing bright green robes and mask embellished with brightly coloured feathers, which looked gorgeous against his dark skin.

"I couldn't help noticing you dancing with Draco Malfoy a minute ago," he said.

"Uh…" I said, suddenly lost for words. I'd had more conversation with boys in the last ten minutes than I had in the last five years. "Really?"

"Yes," he said shortly. "Anyway, since you seem to be between partners, I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me."

"Oh, I'd like to very much," I said. I felt elated once again as we walked out onto the dance floor. The song playing was faster than the one which I had danced with Malfoy, and I had more difficulty getting the steps right. I stepped on his toes a few times, and cringed inwardly. Besides that, my partner was rather more taciturn than Malfoy- so the next five minutes were passed slightly awkwardly. But even so, I was happy- this was my second dance with a wizard, after all. I couldn't be nearly as repulsive as I'd assumed.

I danced with a few other people- I was shocked by how many. Between dances, I started to savour the atmosphere, and the fact that I was a part of it. Everyone was so refined, and they thought that I was one of them! I kept a close eye on my family at the same time, though. When I saw Pansy bidding a mournful farewell to Draco, I wanted to kick her. Instead, I headed straight to the fire and Flooed home. I ran upstairs to my room, dragged off my robes and shoved them in the bottom of my wardrobe. I threw the accessories in to, and hastily pulled on my pyjamas and turned off the light, just as I began to hear voices downstairs.

"And then I danced with Vaisley, and then Terence, and loads of others, but none were as good as Draco-"

I felt a smile spread across my face as Pansy chattered on. If only she knew that I, too, had danced with Draco Malfoy! He had told me he would find out my name! I gloried in the victory over my sister, small and petty though it was. My family went to bed, and the house quietened. I lay awake a long time, imagining Draco in his black mask, remembering the faint smell of cologne as we had stood close to each other and replaying every sentence he had spoken to me in my head. Could he possibly be interested in me?

It was then that I realised how desperately I wanted to see him again, without a mask. I wasn't entirely sure why- he'd seemed like an arrogant idiot, mostly- but I suppose that I had felt more elated that night than ever before in my life, and he was the first wizard to show me any attention in a very long time. And, of course, there was what it would do to Pansy if he happened to fall for me.

When I finally drifted off to sleep, I was imagining all the possible ways Draco might sweep me off my feet. I would discover that I was a witch after all; he would realise that I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; and so on…

I should have known that my happiness couldn't last long.

**A/N: I've rewritten this chapter, mainly to try and get Draco a little more in character. Any thoughts on whether I've succeeded or not would be hugely appreciated, as would any other thoughts you have on the story. Thank you for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, as you may have guessed.**


	3. Chapter 3

I was making a sandwich the next day, more for something to do than because she actually wanted to eat something, when Pansy burst into the kitchen with a murderous look on her face. "You've taken my bag, haven't you?"

Immediately my mind filled with an image of the white satin clutch bag lying on the floor of my wardrobe, tangled up with Pansy's robes and shoes. "What?" I asked.

"My white clutch bag. You've stolen it, haven't you?"

"Of course not," I snapped. "I wouldn't be seen _dead_ in your clothes."

"You'd better not have taken it," Pansy said viciously. "I need it for the Vaisleys' ball next week, and if you've _Squibbed_ all over it-"

"How thick _are_ you? I've said twice I haven't taken it. Why don't you ask Mally to look for it?" I said, hoping that I could talk to Mally beforehand and persuade her to lie for me.

"She likes you," Pansy said. "I don't want her covering for you. If you _have_ taken it, maybe mother and father will _finally_ see sense and get rid of you."

I forced a hollow laugh, although her words stung. "Trust me, they won't."

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?"

"You know why I was their favourite for eleven years?" I asked. "Because you're so stupid you could barely learn the alphabet, _and_ ugly. So they have to keep us both, just to remind themselves that there was _some_ value in their genes."

I watched with satisfaction as Pansy's furious expression changed to one of hurt, but only briefly. Seconds later, it was back to hatred. "Don't fool yourself, Peony. You might have been their favourite once, but you aren't now. You aren't anyone's favourite. No-one likes you; you don't even have any friends at that stupid _school_ you go to-"

"You don't know _anything_ about my school," I snapped back, hurt by the truth in her words. "So shut up."

"With pleasure. I don't even know why I'm bothering to _talk_ to a Squib. I should've just gone straight into your room." She spun around, and before I realised what was happening I heard her footsteps running lightly up the stairs. I abandoned my half made sandwich and ran after her.

"Pansy, don't you dare go in my room!" I shouted, but not loudly enough to alert mum. I heard my bedroom door open and then slam shut. Wrenching it open, I found Pansy hurling the contents of my desk drawers onto the floor. "What're you doing?" I hissed, throwing myself across the room and wrenching the door from her. I only just resisted the temptation to hit her with it. "Get out of my room, now!"

Pansy pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it at me. "Get out of my way, or I'll curse you. I mean it."

"You wouldn't dare," I said, but my voice shook.

"You think anyone'll care if I do?" she snarled.

"You aren't allowed," I said, but when she pushed past me to check under the bed I didn't try to stop her. I stood and watched mutely as she shoved her wand back in her pocket and felt about under the bed. After a few seconds fruitless search, she straightened up, dusted off her robes and began to walk towards the wardrobe. I grabbed her wrist- the right wrist, so she couldn't go for her wand- and yanked her back. "Get _out_ of my room."

"It's in your wardrobe, isn't it?" she said, with a triumphant smile.

"No, I'm just sick of having your ugly face in here."

Pansy smirked, and tried to twist her arm away from me. I grasped it tighter, twisting her arm around, digging my nails into her flesh until she couldn't help but cry out.

"Ow!" Pansy struck out with her other hand, catching the side of my face. I gasped with surprise and my grip loosened for just long enough that Pansy pulled her arm free and leapt towards the wardrobe. I started after her and grabbed the neck of her robes to try and wrench her away, but too late. Her gaze fell on the heap of her clothes lying crumpled on the bottom of the wardrobe, and it was too late. "MUM!" Pansy screamed. I jerked the neck of her robes sharply so that she almost choked, but it was too late- the damage had been done. "Mum! Peony's been stealing my stuff!"

Seconds later, our mother was standing in my doorway and surveying the mess of my room disapprovingly. "Peony, is it too much to expect you to keep your room clean after all we've done for you?"

"It wasn't me-" I began, but Pansy interrupted me.

"Mother, she's been stealing my stuff! I couldn't find my white clutch bag, so I asked Peony if she'd seen it, and look! It was in her wardrobe!"

Mother glanced into the wardrobe. "Peony, is this true?" she asked, without looking at me.

I thought of denying it, but knew that she wouldn't believe me if I did. I looked at the floor. "Yes."

"I'm disgusted in you, Peony." The contempt in her voice made me want to cry. "We've bought you everything you could have needed, even-" Her voice filled with contempt "-even _Muggle_ things. We've let you live here, when so many wouldn't have tolerated you after they found what you are. And this is how you repay us? I confess I was stupid enough to expect better of you. I'm surprised even a _Squib_ could sink so low. We thought that we had taught you at least _something_ of our manners."

I risked a glance up, to find that my mother still wouldn't look at me. I looked down at the floor in silence. I cared very little for what Pansy said: we'd hated each other since childhood. But my mother was different. She'd loved me once. She let the silence drag on just long enough, before sighing. "I honestly don't know what to do with you any more."

Another silence, this one even more agonising than the first. I continued to look at the floor. "But I _certainly_ don't want to look at you. You'll stay in your room for the rest of the holiday. Mally will bring you your meals." I heard her turn and walk towards the door, and glanced up to see her slim and beautiful figure sweep out of the room, her robes flaring out behind her. Just outside the door she paused, and for a second I hoped that her gaze would meet mine. But no, she was looking behind me, to my sister. "Come, Pansy. Take your clothes and leave so I can lock the door."

"Coming, mother," Pansy said. She swept the outfit into her arms and gave me a smug smirk as she followed mother out of the room. I caught one last glance of blue silk before my mother pulled the door shut. I stared at it in despair as she sharply tapped it twice with her wand.

Then I threw myself on the bed miserably and tried not to cry. I stared at the ceiling so angrily that had I been a witch I would have burnt a hole in it, and came to a realisation. I _had_ to go to the Vaisleys' ball, the one Pansy had mentioned. Nothing else mattered. My mother already hated me. Pansy had won- at least for now- and there was only one way I could see to get back at her. I needed to see Draco again more than ever.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mally, you _have_ to find a way for me to go to this ball," I said. The rest of my family had already left, and I could feel the time I had to spend with Draco ticking away.  
Mally wrung her hands fearfully. "But Mistress and Master is already angry with Mistress Peony. What if she is recognised?"

"I don't care," I said fiercely. "I _need_ to go." Mally's face filled briefly with hurt, and I briefly regretted my tone: I'd never spoken to her angrily before. My guilt was short-lived, though- nothing mattered at that moment so much as going to this ball.

"Mistress Peony will be in so much trouble if she is seen, and- and what if Mistress finds out that Mally helped Mistress Peony?"

"Mally," I said in a warning voice. "I'm not asking you. I'm _ordering_ you to help me. I _need_ to go to this ball and I _need_ to see Draco without being recognised."

Mally looked hurt again, but only for a second. Then she sighed, her brow furrowing, before speaking again in a low, expressionless voice. "There is a charm that will stop them recognising you, a charm which blocks their memory of Peony Parkinson, but it does not last long. And Mistress mustn't give her identity to anyone, or they will be able to see through the charm."

"Great, you can do that, then. And I'll need some more of Pansy's clothes," I said, before adding, "Please."

Mally still looked unhappy, but with a crack she disappeared. I glanced around my room, remembering the confrontation with Pansy I'd had a few days ago. I wondered whether the ball was worth the risk I was taking, but I'd already made up my mind to go. A few minutes later, Mally reappeared with a set of deep purple robes and some silvery shoes and a bag to go with them. She bowed stiffly, and said, a little coldly, "Here are the clothes that Mistress requested."

"Thanks Mally," I said. I hastily pulled off my ancient jeans and t-shirt, and pulled the robes over my head, enjoying the luxurious feel of the fabric. Then I turned to look at myself on my wardrobe door. These robes were less floaty than the ones I'd worn to the Masquerade, somehow more adult. Once again, I looked prettier than I'd ever guessed I could. Mally obviously knew how to pick an outfit. I gave her a wide smile which she didn't return. "Thanks, Mally. OK, I'm ready to go."

She gave another stiff bow and took my hand. "Mistress may want to take a deep breath first."

"Wh-" I began, but too late- everything had gone black. Huge bands of fire clenched around my body: I couldn't breathe, I was going to be sick, I was suffocating in the darkness that had suddenly appeared- and then, suddenly, I found myself crouched on the living room floor, gasping. "_That_ was apparition? I think I prefer taking the bus."

Mally ignored me. "Now it just remains for Mally to perform the charm. It means people will see you and know they have seen you before, but they will not be realising who you are, even if they is your own family." Mally gently rested her cool, scaly hands on my cheeks for a few seconds. "But Mistress Peony must remember that it will not be working after midnight. Mally would advise her to be back before then." She bowed stiffly. "Enjoy the ball, Mistress."

Her manner was still cold and subservient, but I was too excited to apologise. "Thanks. See you later, Mally," I said excitedly, stepping into the fire.

Stepping into a ballroom full of wizards was almost as scary as it had been the first time, although now my terror was mingled with excitement. The Vaisley ballroom was just as beautiful as the Malfoy's. Large flower arrangements were dotted around the edges of the room: red snapdragons, which blew fire and snapped at passers-by, contained by brilliantly white sprays of snow-weed. I barely noticed any of this, though: my eyes were eagerly scanning the crowd for Draco and my family. I spotted Pansy fairly quickly, dancing with a boy. She was laughing frequently as he spoke, and I couldn't help noticing how graceful she looked on the dance floor. I felt a brief stab of envy, but then I spotted Draco.

His face had been covered at the Masquerade ball, but now I saw it for the first time in more than six years. It had become thinner in the six years since I'd seen him, and his cheekbones jutted sharply. His skin was pale, and his expression was one of haughty boredom as he danced with a girl I didn't recognise. My heart leapt. He certainly wasn't what could be described as conventionally handsome, but I found it hard to take my eyes off him.

When the dance ended, I crossed to the other side of the room in the hope that he would notice me. He didn't. I glanced back to see him deep in conversation with two older men. Hurt, I hastily diverted my attention to the flower display. It was the kind of magical object that normally would have fascinated me, but today I couldn't make myself interested in it. After a few minutes I moved back towards the edge of the dance floor and watched the guests swirling around the room in their brightly coloured robes. Suddenly, I felt very out of place.

Fewer people asked me to dance tonight: I supposed that the lack of masks meant that they could tell I wasn't someone they knew. Normally, I would have been happy with this: the simple proximity of witches and wizards and the fact that they all failed to recognise me as an impostor would have made me feel somehow special. Tonight, however, I was horribly aware of how alone I was and of the limited time I had ticking away, while Draco still hadn't talked to me. I realised that I'd been stupid to come, stupid to let myself think that there was any possible way Draco could be interested in me- but I still couldn't bring myself to leave.

As the golden hands on the clock reached quarter to twelve and another song ended, I realised that I had a choice: act, or spend the rest of my life regretting it. As Draco thanked the girl he'd been dancing with for the dance and headed for the edge of the room, I took a deep breath, forced a smile to my face and readied myself to start a conversation. By the time I'd summoned the courage to actually move, however, he had joined a conversation. His heart didn't seem to be in it, however: I noticed his eyes constantly darted around the room, although I tried not to stare. Finally, the people he was talking to drifted off towards the dance floor and I forced myself to seize the chance.

"Hi," I said nervously, hideously aware of how high and shrill my voice sounded.

"Do I know you?" he asked coldly.

"Um, sort of," I said, cursing myself for my stupidity. Of course Draco wouldn't have remembered me. "We danced at your masquerade ball. I was wearing blue…"

But as I said the words, a spark of recognition appeared in his eyes, and something approaching a smile flickered briefly across his face. "So you are." The smile was quickly replaced by suspicion. He examined me again as though searching for a trick, and I realised suddenly why he hadn't recognised me: Mally's charm was doing it's job. If I gave him my name, he'd recognise me as myself.

I glanced at the clock. It was five to twelve. I knew that I should really be walking towards the fireplace to Floo home about now, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not when I was finally talking to Draco.

"Well, do you want to dance again?" he asked. "But this time, you can tell me your name."

"Yes, I'd love to!" I said. He took my hand in his and I couldn't suppress a smile as his long, thin fingers wrapped around mine. His hand was dry and cool, and I forgot all about leaving by midnight.

"You still haven't told me your name," he said.

I smiled nervously and searched for a way to distract him. "Um, didn't I?" I asked, stalling.

"No, you didn't. What is it?"

I forced what I hoped was a flirtatious, teasing smile. "Where would be the fun in me simply telling you? I think that you should guess."

"Why won't you tell me it? I'm starting to wonder if you're mudblood or something," he said, irritated.

"I'm not!" I said, too quickly. "Of course I'm not. What would a mudblood be doing at an event like this?"

"I suppose that's true. So why won't you tell me?" He sounded like a spoilt child being told that it can't have something for the first time, but for some reason I didn't mind.

"Why won't you guess?" I countered.

For a second I thought that he would walk off. My heart plummeted to tip of my sparkly shoes. But he didn't go. "Fine," he said grudgingly. "Er, Jane?"

"No!" I said vehemently- he thought I looked like a _Jane_? Surely it had to be one of the least sexy names imaginable. "Do I look like a Jane?"

Draco laughed briefly, one of the most exciting sounds I'd ever heard. "No, perhaps not…" He thought for a second. "Cecily?"

"A little warmer," I told him, smiling.

"Emma?"

"Nope," I said.

"Catherine? Lydia?"

I shook my head with a smile.

He thought briefly, and it was with considerable joy that I noticed he seemed suddenly interested in the game. He looked more engaged than I'd seen him all night. "Christine? Anna? Adelaide?"

I smiled. "None of those."

He smiled back. "You do realise that this is going to take all night?"

"Well, you'd better hurry up then," I told him. "We only have until the end of the song."

"Clarissa? Esme? Elizabeth? Eloise?"

"No," I said teasingly.

He opened his mouth to guess some more names, but at that moment the clock began to chime midnight and his face froze in horror. So did mine. For a second he didn't speak, just stared at my face, obviously trying to call up a distant memory. Then he stammered, "P-Peony? Peony _Parkinson_?"

I gasped. Midnight. The charm had worn off, and everyone could see me for who I was. I spun hastily around and began walking towards the fireplace as fast as my high-heeled shoes would carry me.

"Hey, wait!" Draco called. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Hearing his words, more heads turned to look at me. I sped up, breaking into a run. The dancers stopped to stare at me, the girl who should have died six years ago. With a snapping sound one of the straps on the shoes broke and a bolt of pain shot through my ankle. The shoe fell from my foot. I stopped and yanked the other one off roughly, running the last few yards to the fireplace in bare feet. I threw Floo Powder into the grate, leapt in after it and gabbled the name of my house. With relief, I felt the green flames envelope me and begin to drag me homewards- but not before I caught the whispers of the guests.

_ "The Parkinson girl?"_

_ "I thought she was dead-"_

_ "There's only one reason a family lies about a death-"_

_ "A Squib-"_

_ "Scum-"_

_ "Surprised they even kept her-"_

_ "In our day, filth like her wouldn't--"_

I stumbled from the fireplace and into our darkened living room, gasping and blinking away tears. For a brief moment, Draco and I had been getting on well, and now he'd never speak to me again. And in case that wasn't bad enough, my family would surely be back any second, humiliated and furious. This time, they'd surely disown me. And Mally… Mally would be in trouble too, even though I'd forced her into this.

Unable to summon up the will to go upstairs to my room, I simply collapsed on a sofa and waited for the onslaught. The silver shoe fell from my hand and thudded to the floor in front of me, but I didn't have the strength to pick it up. Not for the first time that night, I wondered how I could have been so stupid.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! I've had writer's block recently, and this was a fairly difficult chapter to write anyway, so I'm sorry if this chapter isn't amazing. Hopefully the next bit of the story should be a little easier._


	5. Chapter 5

My mother had barely stepped out of the fire before she snapped, "Peony, go to your room." I didn't even think of arguing, but hurried from the room with my head down and tears in my eyes. Even so, I couldn't resist one glance at Pansy's upset face before I left the room. She looked almost as unhappy as I felt.

As I trudged up the stairs to my room, I couldn't help but overhear them beginning what was to become a long discussion about my punishment.

"She simply has to go, Bernard," came my mother's voice.

"We can't just put her on the street." It was my father: his voice was low and furious. "I can't deny that she's behaved abominably, but she's only sixteen."

"I'm only sixteen!" I heard Pansy wail. "And I haven't ever done anything like this."

"It's not just hear behaviour tonight, Bernard. She's stolen Pansy's clothes before," mother said, ignoring Pansy completely. "And she was obviously completely oblivious to her punishment for that- I don't see what else we can do about her."

I reached the door of my room and paused briefly, torn between wanting to hear what they were saying about me and fear of what would happen if I was discovered lurking there. Terror won. I shut the door and tiptoed across the room. I sat on my bed in the darkness, half-listening to the murmur of voices downstairs, thinking of Draco's face: the way he had smiled at me as we had danced (had it been worth it, just for that?), and the way that smile had crumbled as he realised who I really was (and I wasn't sure whether his reaction, or my family's, would hurt the most).

Below me, I heard the voices rise to shouts, and then Pansy's footsteps thundered up the stairs. But even that failed to cheer me up.

The murmur of my parent's voices downstairs continued, rising and falling occasionally, but mostly steady. For want of something better to do, I changed into my pyjamas and got into bed. I didn't expect to sleep. Every time I shut my eyes the evening began to play back to me, mingled with terror of what would happen once my parents finished their interminable discussion. But eventually, I fell into a restless sleep.

When I woke, bright sunshine was streaming into my room but the house was absolutely silent. I dressed and crept downstairs for breakfast, hoping to find that I was the first one up and didn't have to face my family for a few more hours. It seemed likely that I would get my wish: the only sounds to be heard were the slow ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway and my own muffled footsteps on the thick carpet. So it was a shock to walk into the kitchen and find my parents at the table, silently watching the door with a pot of tea between them.

"Peony. We wanted to talk to you," my mother said.

"Oh… OK," I said. The silence of the room seemed to exaggerate the quiver in my voice. I pulled the chair out, slowly and unhappily, feeling both of my parent's eyes on me. I found myself noticing the intricate carvings on the back, realising that this would probably be the last time I ever saw them. The room suddenly looked very beautiful, with bright rays of spring sunshine shining through the French windowsand lighting up the carved and polished wooden furniture. One of the windows had been left open, so that the smell of cut grass mingled with the scent of my parent's tea and toast. Pansy was nowhere to be seen.

I sat down and tried to smile at them, not trusting myself to speak. I blinked once, wondering how long I would be able to hold back my tears once they started talking. I'd thought that I hated my family: now I realised that I would hate to have to leave even more, and not just because I had nowhere else to go. I waited for them to speak. Neither of them spoke for what felt like an age, until a part of me wanted to scream at them "_Just get it over with!_" But I didn't, because an even larger part of me still wanted to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

"We've discussed what you did last night at great length," my father said finally. "I doubt even you could deny that your behaviour was unacceptable."

I nodded. "I know. And I'm sorry, I promise I-"

"Let your father finish!" my mother snapped. The look on her face was murderous.

I fell silent immediately, staring at the flowery pattern on the tablecloth to avoid having to meet her venomous gaze.

"We simply can't have you risking Pansy's future on childish stunts like the one you pulled last night. What you did was unbelievably stupid: what you thought you were going to achieve I can't imagine." He paused, and I waited silently for him to tell me to start packing. "Nonetheless, you are our daughter too, and we understand that things may have been fairly difficult for you."

I looked up in shock, my mouth dropping open. This wasn't what I had expected at all.

"Peony, don't gape so!" my mother snapped. I got the impression that she wasn't entirely happy with his decision.

I shut my mouth immediately.

"And of course," my father continued. "Once you come of age in the Muggle world we expect you to fend for yourself."

"We don't want you hanging around like a lead weight for the rest of your life," mother interjected.

Father ignored her. "This summer, you'll get a job in the Muggle world. At the very least it should help keep you out of trouble, and will mean that when you come of age you'll be ready to move out and live as a Muggle almost immediately."  
I nodded numbly. "Of course." I wasn't sure whether the prospect of a job excited me or terrified me, but it had to be better than moving out.

"And as for the rest of your Easter holidays, you'll be helping Mally with the chores," Mother said. "She won't be up to much for a while, after punishing herself for helping you disobey me."

I gasped and spun to face my mother, horrified. "What?" In my excitement I hadn't so much as considered the trouble that Mally would get into.

I might have imagined it, but I thought that a look of brief satisfaction had crossed her face at my reaction. She chose to ignore the question, though. "You'll start by mopping all the floors downstairs."

I didn't move, still unable to believe that Mally had been punished more severely than I had for what I had done.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" my mother snapped.

"Sorry," I said stupidly, getting up and beginning to walk back upstairs to the cupboard where the cleaning equipment was stored. Still in a kind of daze, I barely noticed Pansy as we passed on the landing between the first and second floors. "Off to pack?" she sneered.

"No, actually," I said. "Heard anything from Draco yet?" I added viciously, enjoying the way her face darkened.

"Shut up, you filthy squib," she snarled. "You _certainly_ won't hear from him. That's what you were hoping for, wasn't it? You were actually deluded enough to believe that if you stole my clothes a wizard might fall for you. _You_!" She laughed cruelly.

As if!" I shot back, but the satisfied look on Pansy's face told me that I hadn't hidden my distress as well as I'd hoped. "And if you think he'll want to see you again after finding out that your sister is a Squib, then you're deluded too!"

"Whatever, Peony. At least he could dance with me without a mask."

The only thing that stopped me from hitting her was the sound of footsteps on the stairs below. Hastily, I turned and walked upstairs with as much dignity as I could muster. Behind me, I heard Pansy turn to go downstairs.

*

Seeing Mally was the worst punishment of all: worse than Pansy's taunts, my mother's fury or my father's angry disappointment. It was even worse than the look on Draco's face as he realised who I was. Mally wouldn't even look at me. Silently, she pointed out the bucket, mop and Floris Fingle's Fantastical Floor Freshener with a finger wrapped in thick, greyish bandages. Her toes and ears were similarly wrapped.

"Mally, what happened?" I asked immediately, but there was no reply. As I picked up the things I needed I apologised again and again. "Mally, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for them to find out, I had no idea they'd do this to you. I'm sorry. I really am." I paused in the doorway of the closet, looking back at her, but still she wouldn't meet my eyes. "Mally, please talk to me. I'm sorry, I didn't think-"

Finally, Mally looked up. Her brown eyes fixed me with a baleful gaze as she spoke, more slowly than I had ever heard her speak. "Mistress has forbidden Mally to speak to Mistress Peony. And Mally has no more fingers left to burn in punishment."  
And with a pop, Mally was gone and I was staring at the space where she had been. A few minutes ago, I wouldn't have believed that anything could have been worse than being forced to move out, but the look on Mally's face certainly came close. Wretchedly, I walked downstairs and filled the bucket with water.

I mopped the floor as quickly as I could: it was a horrible task, not because the work was hard but because it left just enough of my mind free to go over everything bad that had happened in the last few days. When I'd nearly finished the last room, Pansy came in from the garden and crossed the floor. I waited for her to taunt me so that I could attack her back, but she ignored me so completely I wondered briefly if I had ceased to exist entirely, but the smirk of satisfaction as she glanced back at the trail of footprints she'd left on the pale tiles told me otherwise.

I washed the footprints away, and when I finally finished mother told me to have lunch and then clean the oven and dust the living room. And so the day wore on, and when it was over I ate dinner alone in my room and cried myself to sleep. The next day was much the same, and the next, and the next. I couldn't wait for term to start again, when I would have a respite from Mally's reproachful brown eyes, endless chores and Pansy's gloating when a few days later she heard from Draco. The week seemed to last forever, but somehow I got through it. And so my Easter holidays passed.


End file.
